A Continual Feast: A Cookbook to Celebrate the Joys of Family & Faith throughout the Christian Year

By Evelyn Vitz

An ideal Christmas, birthday or shower present!

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A cookbook full of wonderful recipes and ideas drawn from throughout the Christian tradition, with suggestions about when, and why, these dishes might be served. It contains more than 275 recipes with which to celebrate all the holidays throughout the Christian year, as well as the many shared rituals that strengthen family bonds and enrich the significance of the day to day events of our lives. How these rituals, rites and feasts came about, how they are celebrated around the world, and how you can bring them into your home are described every step of the way. Includes wonderful illustrations.

A Continual Feast brings new meaning to "breaking bread together." A book to cook from and learn from, it includes: menus for holidays and every day recipes for all occasions from church picnics and Sunday suppers to birthdays, namedays, confirmations, and baptisms; wonderful cooking projects for children; recipes for Christmas giving; thoughtful suggestions on taking food to others; customs associated with many great Christian holidays from Advent through Pentecost as well as various saints days around the world; traditional meanings associated with particular foods; tips on fasting and abstinence; recipes that incorporate leftovers; quotations from the Bible and various theological and gastronomic sources; many recipes of varied ethnic origins; a wealth of Christian history and thought.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ignatius Press
• Release date: Dec 13, 2013
• ISBN: 9781681490052

Book preview

Preface

This is a cookbook full of wonderful dishes drawn from throughout the Christian tradition, with suggestions about when, and why, these dishes might be served. But it is also a book about how the food we cook, the meals we serve, can enrich and deepen our lives, not merely as individuals, but as families and communities as well. It is a reminder that all we eat, all the fruits of the earth, come to us from the hand of God. It is a reminder as well of how important a meal is, as a shared experience. I hope it will spur you to make sure your family sits down to eat together as often as possible. Breaking bread together, as the beautiful old expression goes, encourages the growth of bonds of love and commitment. And how many of the memorable moments of our lives occur at meals!

We all want our families to be as united, as happy, as loving as possible. And we want to deepen our understanding that we are part of a greater family scattered around the world and across the centuries.

It is with such thoughts in mind that this cookbook was written.

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More friends and relatives than I can enumerate here have contributed to this book by generously sharing their recipes, expertise, and general lore and by lending me books. But I particularly want to thank my husband, Paul, for all his loving and wise support—and for being willing on occasion to eat five versions of the same dish five days in a row; my mother, Evelyn C. Denny, and my mother-in-law, Alda C. Vitz, for their encouragement and invaluable aid along the way; and my friends Kathryn Talarico, Roger Sorrentino, Steven Gordon, Jimmie Ritchie, Laurie Postlewate, Martha Moon, Barbara Kirschenblatt-Gimblett, Colleen Crowell Rooney, Justin Gennaro, Wendy Zuckerman and Mary Elizabeth Podhaizer. I am grateful to my editor Ann Bramson for her patience and counsel throughout the extended labor and various revisions of this book. Finally, without the guidance of my extraordinary friend Nona Aguilar, this book would, quite simply, never have gotten done.

     ". . . the cheerful heart has a continual feast."

Proverbs 15:15 (NIV)

     "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are."

Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste

Why is any day better than another, when all the daylight in the year is from the sun?

By the Lord’s decision they were distinguished, and he appointed the different seasons and feasts;

some of them he exalted and hallowed, and some of them he made ordinary days.

Ecclesiasticus (also called Sirach) 33:7-9 Apocrypha, RSV

PART ONE     All the days of our lives

We start with all the many days of our lives and the meals that are part of them with recipes for delicious dishes for Sunday dinners, church picnics, baptismal parties, and other such happy occasions. We will look as well at the importance of everyday living as we all want our family meals to be delicious and memorable, festive in their own special way, through the joys of companionship and collaboration.

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Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Revelation 3:20 (NIV)

Days of rejoicing

and celebration

I once asked a friend of mine who comes from a very close-knit family why they were so united. She answered that her mother had been wonderfully able to find occasions for the family to rejoice together. There was always a sense of festivity in the family, and she and her brothers and sisters have never been willing to let go of that sense of unity and joy.

There are so many occasions in our lives as families and in our relationships with friends that invite celebration. Let’s learn to make the most of them.

The Bible is full of references to feasting and celebration. In the Old Testament there are feasts of welcome and many others celebrating happy occasions in the lives of individuals. And all the great events in the history of the Jews, those commemorating the actions of the Lord in their behalf, are kept with feasts, shared meals, at the command of the Lord himself.

As to the New Testament, Jesus performed his very first miracle at a wedding feast, at Cana, where he turned water into wine for the thirsty guests. And, in many of his stories and parables, feasting plays a major role, taking on a new, spiritual meaning. Often in Jesus’ words earthly rejoicing is symbolic of, and looks forward to, the heavenly banquet. In fact, this idea that heaven will be a great shared feast permeates and enriches the Christian ideal of the banquet.

There is another dimension to the Christian feast: all communal eating is seen as intimately connected to the Lord’s Supper, in which Christians become one with Christ and also with each other.

SUNDAY

Sunday, the Christian Sabbath, is the high point of the Christian week. From a secular perspective, Friday is no doubt the high point. Just think of the Thank-God-it’s-Friday party; the work week is finishing, the weekend lies ahead: all hope, no fatigue or disappointments (yet). But, from the Christian perspective, Sunday has always held pride of place among the days. It is the great day, the first day in every sense. And since the early centuries, Christians have gathered together on Sunday to eat their most special meal of the week, in honor of Christ. Many people today who had lost touch with this tradition are rediscovering it. If anything, the Sunday dinner has gained in importance and meaning today, when families are having a hard time arranging to eat other meals together. It can be, as many are finding, a time at which the whole family gathers, perhaps with invited friends or relatives, for a special hour or two. It is a shared meal, but more: a time when the family recollects itself, in the various meanings of this word, and reconsecrates itself and the coming week to God.

This day is a reminder of all the richness of our heritage. Foremost among the days that the Jews celebrated as holy was the Sabbath, the seventh and last day of the week—Saturday—on which the Lord rested after completing the work of creation. Christ himself kept this day as holy though he did scandalize some by working miracles and plucking grain to eat, declaring, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

But, after the death and resurrection of Christ, the earliest Christians began to celebrate a new day as holy: the first day of the week, the day on which Christ rose from the dead. This day, the new Lord’s Day, came to be celebrated as a little, a weekly, Easter.

The Lord’s Day was understood to be a day of rest, but not in so complete a way as the Jewish Sabbath. It was, rather, a rest for the heart, a day to restore the spirit as well as the body. And it was a day of rejoicing, a triumphant, happy day. Sunday was also the day on which new projects, new plans, should be inaugurated, since it imparted a blessing on all that was undertaken.

Sunday was, then, a day for thanksgiving and communion, and the very earliest Christians shared an agape meal, or love feast. The Eucharist, or Lord’s Supper, was originally celebrated at the end of the love feast. Eventually the Lord’s Supper was set off as a separate liturgy, to stress the reverence and spirit of prayer that must surround this sacred meal.

At the time of the Protestant Reformation, Sunday came often to be referred to as the Sabbath. The point was to renew an Old Testament sense of the holiness of the Lord’s Day.

This day has retained its character as one of rest, and as that on which the best meal of the week has been eaten, shared, in honor of the Risen Christ.

Wash on Monday

Iron on Tuesday

Mend on Wednesday

Churn on Thursday Clean on Friday

Bake on Saturday

Rest on Sunday.

     Early American saying

Edelweiss coffeecake

Part of setting Sunday apart from other days is the shared enjoyment of foods that we don’t have during the week. Sitting down together after church for a homemade coffeecake, perhaps along with bacon and eggs—this is part of many a family’s Sunday ritual. It is also traditional to serve such a coffeecake to Sunday-afternoon guests, with coffee.

Here is an Edelweiss, by my book one of the most delectable of all yeast coffeecakes.

2 packages dry yeast 1/2 cup warm water (100-110° F.)

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups milk

1 stick (1/4 pound) sweet butter

1 teaspoon salt

Grated rind of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 eggs

About 6 cups flour

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2/3-1 cup butter at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup finely chopped or ground blanched almonds

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Let sit until frothy.

In a saucepan, scald the milk. Add the 1 stick butter, the remaining sugar, and the salt. Stir until the butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm. Add the lemon rind and cinnamon and beat in the eggs. Add to the yeast mixture.

Stir in 2 cups of the flour, and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth. Gradually add just enough of the remaining flour to make a soft, nonsticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and blisters form on the surface.

Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Punch the dough down. Divide in 2 or 3 parts, depending on whether you wish to make 2 large or 3 smaller coffeecakes. Grease 2 baking sheets or 3 pie pans. Form the dough into 2 large, round flat coffeecakes on the baking sheets. Or pat it into pie pans.

Prepare the topping: Cream the confectioners sugar with the butter. Stir in the vanilla and almonds. Sprinkle onto the dough. Let rise again until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350° F. for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Yield: 2 large or 3 smaller coffeecakes

Note: These coffeecakes freeze well.

Variations:

Add raisins, dried currants, or chopped candied fruit peel to the dough or topping; for the almonds, substitute chopped hazelnuts, walnuts, or pecans.

STICKY BUNS

Make a slightly stiffer dough than that for the coffeecakes by adding a little more flour. Instead of forming the dough into coffeecakes, roll it out into two rectangles about 1/4 inch thick, 12 inches wide, and 18 inches long. Cream 3/4 cup brown sugar with 6 tablespoons butter. Add 1/2 cup chopped raisins and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; if you like, add 1/4 cup or more chopped nuts. Sprinkle this filling onto the dough. Roll the dough up along the 12-inch side. Cut it into slices about 1 inch thick. Place the slices slightly apart on lightly greased pans and let rise for the second time. Bake at 375° F. for about 20 minutes. While still hot brush with confectioners’ sugar mixed with lemon juice and a little vanilla.

Yield: about 3 dozen

Liver dumpling soup

In a number of countries—Germany and Belgium among them—there is a tradition of Sunday soups. These are favorite soups of the house, which the cook produces on Sundays—and only on Sundays—to the anticipation and delight of the family. These soups often contain dumplings or meatballs.

I have heard the monks at St. Vincent’s Archabbey (in Latrobe, Pennsylvania) reminisce fondly about this wonderful liver dumpling soup. One of the elderly sisters from the nearby German Benedictine convent of St. Emma’s used to cook it up on Sunday from time to time—the intervals always seemed too long. This recipe has been adapted from St. Emma’s Cookbook.

1/4 pound any liver

1 tablespoon butter

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon salt

A few grindings of black pepper

2 tablespoons finely minced onion

1 1/2 tablespoons finely minced parsley

1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Pinch of marjoram

Pinch of nutmeg

About 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Approximately 12 cups good beef broth

Skin the liver and remove any fibers. Grind or chop very fine. (Liver is easier to chop if it is slightly frozen.)

Cream the butter, add the egg and the finely chopped or ground liver. Mix in the remaining ingredients except broth, using enough breadcrumbs to make the mixture light and fluffy—about 1/2 cup.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a simmer. Drop in 1 teaspoon after another of the mixture. Simmer the dumplings gently for about 10 minutes, or until they have become slightly fluffy, and a toothpick inserted in one comes out clean. The cooking time will vary according to the size of the dumplings.

Add dumplings to heated broth and simmer soup until ready to serve.

Yield: about 8 servings

Braised capon, Italian style

Sunday is a particularly nice day to prepare a roast, or at any rate something cooked and served whole. Such a dish is handsome to present at the table—it always looks special. And when all partake of one common dish, it is a symbolic reminder that we are not isolated individuals, but are unified by bonds of love and faith.

In both Italy and France, capon is a favorite Sunday dish. This one is braised with a little Marsala wine, and flavored with onion, garlic, prosciutto, and tomatoes. Serve with Rice with Parmesan Cheese and Lemon juice or Pasta with Walnut Sauce (both follow this recipe).

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 capon, about 5 pounds, or 1 large roasting chicken

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, mashed

2/3 cup Marsala wine

1 1/2 cups seeded, coarsely chopped ripe tomatoes or canned Italian plum tomatoes, drained

3/4 cup coarsely chopped prosciutto

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or 1 tablespoon dried

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper the cavity of the bird, and place it in a large flameproof casserole or high-sided frying pan with a lid. Over moderate heat cook and turn the capon in the butter and olive oil until it is nicely browned on all sides.

Remove the capon to a dish. Sauté the onions and garlic in the pan until the onions begin to brown. Stir in 1/3 cup of the wine, reserving the rest for the sauce. Add the tomatoes, prosciutto, and bay leaf. Return the capon to the pan.

Bring the liquid to a simmer. Cover the pan tightly and place it in the oven. Cook at 350° F. for about 2 hours or until the legs move freely at the joints and the juices run clear when the bird is pricked with a fork.

When the capon is done, remove it to a warmed serving dish. Surround it with the onion, tomato, and ham mixture. Keep warm.

Remove all but a few tablespoons of the cooking juices from the pan in which the capon was cooked and degrease those remaining in the pan. Add the chicken broth and the remaining 1/3 cup of Marsala, and boil the mixture down until it is thick and syrupy. In the last minute or two, stir in the basil and parsley. Serve with the capon.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

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I want every laborer in my realm to be able to put a fowl in the pot on Sunday.

Henri IV

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Rice with Parmesan cheese and lemon juice

1 1/2 cups Italian Arborio rice or long-grain rice

Chicken stock or water, or a mixture

Salt

6 tablespoons butter

1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

6 tablespoons lemon juice

Cook the rice in the stock or water with salt, as directed on the package. Remove from the heat.

Stir in the butter, Parmesan cheese, and lemon juice. Blend well with a fork until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

Variation:

Instead of the lemon juice, stir in a little dry white wine.

Pasta with walnut sauce

PASTA CON SALSA DI NOCI

Try this simple, classic sauce with any pasta, such as fettuccine, cappelletti or tagliatelle.

3/4 cup shelled walnuts or 1/2 cup walnuts and 1/4 cup pine nuts, coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon marjoram

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of nutmeg

1 pound pasta

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a food processor or blender combine nuts, marjoram, olive oil, cream, ricotta, and parsley. If the sauce seems too thick, add a tablespoon or two of milk. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender.

Toss with walnut sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Yield: 4 servings

_________________________

No man is lonely while eating spaghetti; it requires so much attention.

Christopher Morley

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Pot roast

Always delicious, always well received.

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Nutmeg

5-pound beef roast (rump, chuck, or round)

Flour

2-3 tablespoons oil, butter, or bacon grease

1/4 cup brandy, warmed (optional)

1 1/2 cups red wine, beef stock or tomato juice

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 stick celery

1 onion, studded with a few cloves

10-15 small carrots, peeled, or 6-8 large carrots, peeled and cut into uniform pieces

10-12 small white onions, peeled

4 turnips, peeled, diced

2 tablespoons butter

BEURRE MANIÉ:

About 2 tablespoons flour

About 2 tablespoons softened butter

_________________________

Better a good dinner than a fine coat.

French saying

_________________________

Rub the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the meat; roll it in flour. In a large pan with a tight-fitting lid, brown the meat on all sides in the oil or fat. Pour out most of the grease. (Optional: Pour in the brandy and carefully ignite it.) Add the liquid and the garlic, celery, and clove-studded onion.

Cover the pot and simmer for about 1 3/4 hours. While the meat is simmering, sauté the carrots, onions, and turnips in 2 tablespoons butter until lightly browned.

After the meat has cooked for 1 3/4 hours, add the vegetables to the pan. Cover again and continue simmering until the meat is done and the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Transfer the meat to a serving platter; surround with the vegetables (except for the celery and clove-studded onion). Keep warm.

Degrease the pan. Make little balls of beurre manié with the flour and softened butter: knead the two together until well blended, and form little pea-sized balls. Stir these little balls into the degreased liquid until the sauce is of the desired consistency. Pour some over the meat and serve the rest in a gravy boat.

Carve the meat across the grain—that way you will get no stringy slices.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Giant dumpling

MIQUE

With your Pot Roast try serving Mique (pronounced Meek). This great beautiful dumpling from Normandy is, when sliced, very like bread.

2/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons yeast

3 1/4 cups flour

6 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 pinch salt

2 eggs

Warm 1/3 cup of the milk to 100-110° F. Sprinkle in the yeast.

Place a generous 3/4 cup flour in a large bowl, or on a floured surface. Add the butter and the yeast, a little at a time. Knead until the flour is completely incorporated. Form the dough into a ball, and cover it with the rest of the flour. Let it rise for 20 minutes at room temperature.

Make a well in the dough. Put in it the salt, eggs, and remaining milk. Knead and mix. Work in the flour until the dough is firm and elastic.

Form the dough into a ball. Wrap it loosely in cheesecloth and place it in a bowl. Let it rise for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Set the dough—still wrapped in cheesecloth—in the water, and let it simmer for 35 to 40 minutes.

Serve hot with the Pot Roast.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Sabbath bread

CHALLAH

The members of the Word of God ecumenical Christian community in Ann Arbor, Michigan, commence the Sabbath with a family ceremony on Saturday night before dinner. (As in the Jewish tradition the Sabbath is observed from sundown to sundown.) The father or head of the household leads the ceremony; the wife or other designated person lights the candle and reads a meditation prayer. In the course of the ceremony a cup of wine (or grape juice) is blessed and shared by all present. The traditional Jewish Sabbath bread, Challah, is shared by all. This recipe for Challah was given to me by my friend Mary Perrotta of the community.

Challah also makes a wonderful addition to any Sunday dinner.

1/2 cup warm water (100-110° F.)

2 1/4 teaspoons plus 2 heaping tablespoons sugar

1 rounded tablespoon yeast

1/2 cup oil

1 heaping tablespoon salt

1/2 cup cold water

7 1/2-8 cups unbleached flour

1 cup boiling water

3 eggs, plus 1 lightly whipped egg

Sprinkle the yeast and 2 1/4 teaspoons sugar into the warm water. Set aside till the yeast is bubbling.

Mix the oil, 2 heaping tablespoons sugar, and the salt in a large bowl. Add the cold water. Mix in 1/2 cup flour. Whip with a wire whisk, until the mixture is very smooth. (This is essential.) Add the boiling water and another 1/2 cup of flour. Again whip until very smooth. Add the 3 eggs; stir in the yeast. Mix well. Add the remaining flour gradually, beating constantly with a spoon. The dough will be sticky. With oiled fingers, knead the dough lightly in the bowl for 2 to 3 minutes.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turning it to grease the top. Let rise, covered, until doubled in bulk—from 1 to 2 hours.

Punch the dough down and knead for 2 or 3 minutes. Divide the dough into two pieces: a generous two-thirds, and a scant one-third.

Divide the larger piece into 3 parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll each into an 18-inch-long rope. Braid the three ropes together. Form the braid into a long loaf, or into a circle, on a lightly greased pan.

Repeat this procedure with the smaller piece; that is, make three 18-inch ropes, and braid them. Place the smaller braid on top of the larger. Cover lightly, and let the dough rise again, until a little less than doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325° F.

Bake the bread for about 20 minutes at 325°. Then brush it with lightly beaten egg white (this will make it shiny). If the crust is not turning golden, raise the oven temperature to 350°. Bake for another 10 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and when you lift the bread in a towel and rap it on the bottom, it sounds hollow. Careful: this bread dries out if overbaked.

Yield: 1 large loaf, serving 15 to 20

Scripture cake

How could we possibly omit this famous old New England favorite? It is a cake made from the words of the Bible—that is, only from ingredients that are mentioned in Scripture. The recipe for Scripture Cake was often set up as a puzzle or exercise and its underlying goal was to make you look up the reference, read the Bible. How many of us would recognize that 2 cups Jeremiah 6:20 means 2 cups sugar? I have set it up here so that the answers are given.

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) Psalms 55:21 (butter)

2 cups Jeremiah 6:20 (sugar)

6 Jeremiah 17:11 (eggs)

1/2 cup Judges 4:19 (milk)

2 tablespoons I Samuel 14:25 (honey)

4 1/2 cups Leviticus 6:15 (flour)

A pinch of Leviticus 2:13 (salt)

2 tablespoons Amos 4:5 (baking powder)

II Chronicles 9:9 (spices: 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg)

2 cups I Samuel 30:12 (raisins)

2 cups Numbers 13:23 (figs), chopped

1 cup Numbers 17:8 (almonds), chopped or grated

Many recipes for Scripture Cake add to this list of ingredients only the words: Follow Solomon’s recipe for making a good boy and you will have a good cake, Proverbs 23:14—Beat well. I think I’ll be a little more specific!

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter and flour loaf pans, small or larger disposable aluminum pans; or a bundt or tube pan.

In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and creamy. Beat in the sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the milk and the honey.

Sift the flour with the salt, baking powder, and dry spices.

Add the dry ingredients gradually to the wet. Mix only until thoroughly blended. Stir in the raisins, figs, and almonds.

Turn the mixture into the pans.

Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a straw inserted in the center comes out clean.

Yield: 1 large or several small cakes

Variation:

You can halve this recipe if you like.

Good Christian pear tart

TARTE RENVERSÉE AUX POIRES BON CHRETIEN

The pears that we call Bartlett today were originally called Bon Chretien, because it was claimed that the extraordinary Francis of Paola had brought them to King Louis XI of France in the fifteenth century. Here is, then, a lovely French upside-down tart, made of Good Christian pears. The pears are poached in a spiced wine, then baked with a pie crust on top. fust before serving the dish, you turn the tart out onto a serving platter. It is thus an "upside-down tart."

Whipped cream may be piped around the edges if desired.

4-7 Bartlett pears, firm and slightly under-ripe, peeled, halved, cored

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly grated

1 piece lemon peel

2-3 cups red wine

SHORT CRUST:

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold sweet butter, cut into small pieces

6-8 tablespoons ice water

Optional: Whipped cream

Prepare the pears: The number used will be determined by the size of the pie pan. You may leave most of them in halves, or quarter some or all of them. This will depend on the pattern in which you wish to arrange them in the pie pan or baking dish. Pack the pears in in a tight, single layer, in an attractive design. Make a mental (or written) note of how you have arranged them.

Once you have decided on the design, place the pears in a large saucepan or frying pan. Sprinkle with the sugar and the spices; add the lemon peel and pour over them wine to cover. Bring the wine to a boil, cover, and poach the pears gently for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the pie crust, following the pastry procedure on page 160. Roll it out to a shape a little larger than the pie pan. Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Remove the pears gently with a slotted spoon, and place them carefully in the pie pan in the design you chose. Try to keep them intact, but if a few get slightly broken, don’t worry. Put the broken ones at the edges.

Boil the spiced wine down rapidly in the saucepan until only 1/2 to 2/3 cup remains. Pour this liquid over the pears.

Lay the pastry over the pears. Crimp or press down the edges, and prick the surface in several places.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden. The tart can be served hot, at room temperature or cold. At any rate, it should not be reversed onto the serving platter until just before it is to be eaten.

Optional:

Pipe whipped cream around the edges

Yield: about 6 to 10 servings

Sundaes

Another dessert possibility is Sundaes. What could be more appropriate? The word sundae comes apparently from Sunday. Presumably this scrumptious dessert was sold or served only on this, the most special day of the week—just as Sunday best or Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes were worn only on that day.

One or more kinds of ice cream and / or sherbet

Chocolate, hot fudge, butterscotch, or marshmallow sauce

Fresh or frozen (thawed) strawberries or raspberries

Whipped cream

Chopped walnuts, pecans, or peanuts

Maraschino cherries

Bananas (For a Banana Split, slice a banana in two lengthwise, put scoops of ice cream on top, and pour hot fudge sauce over)

Variation:

For a more sophisticated sundae try:

vanilla ice cream or raspberry sherbet with a little crème de cassis on top, or

vanilla or coffee ice cream with Tía María or another coffee liqueur, or

vanilla ice cream or lemon or lime sherbet with crème de men the.

Green grapes with sour cream and brown sugar

An unusual and delicious dessert that is a cinch to prepare.

Green grapes (seedless or seeded), washed

Sour cream, lightly stirred

Dark brown sugar, stirred with a fork

Place the grapes, sour cream, and brown sugar in separate serving dishes. Pass, and allow the guests to combine them in their bowls in the proportions they wish.

CHURCH PICNICS

Sunday dinner is the fundamental festive meal. Another absolutely basic, and absolutely wonderful, Christian gathering is the church picnic. This is one variation on the church supper, which is about as old as the Church itself. St. Paul refers several times to communal, shared meals among Christians. The church supper is generally given in the church buildings—in a dining or meeting room. It is often scheduled to precede some sort of church meeting, whether for business, discussion, or prayer; and today, at least in large churches, it is commonly prepared by a special kitchen staff.

Church picnics are quite different in that they are essentially festive, though the basic purpose of all shared meals is the same: Christian fellowship. They are generally large outdoor gatherings, to which everyone contributes food to be shared. Down through the centuries there have been all manner of such gatherings. Originally, they were most often held in honor of a particular church’s patron saint, at a yearly festival or fair; this is still common in many places. But it is thanks to the Protestants in America that we have the church picnic as we know it today—and this contribution has greatly enriched Christian communal life. Many churches today hold picnics in the summertime, as part of annual celebrations—or occasionally to rejoice at some special event. (Any pretext, I say, is good enough to schedule a church picnic!)

Such occasions can be marvelously enjoyable. Volleyball, badminton, and softball can be played. Young children can play tag and other popular group games. (If—as is often the case—there is no space on the church grounds for such activities, the picnic can be held at a park or picnic